Mondays with Matt: How the Mighty Fall

Upsets, near-upsets, shootouts, buzzer beaters and historic debuts
marked the most dramatic weekend of college lacrosse this side of
Memorial Day. And it’s only February.

Here’s a more in-depth look at the stunners.

DELAWARE OVER NO. 11 UMBC IN TRIPLE
OVERTIME

Why it’s surprising: The Blue Hens pretty
much beat the Retrievers with two players -- Curtis Dickson and
Martin Cahill. A dumb-luck element also came into play on the
game-winning goal, Dickson’s seventh of the game. Dickson
dodged short-stick midfielder Maxx Davis from the wing and ripped a
shot that looked like it would go wide. A UMBC defenseman had his
stick positioned to the inside. It deflected off his stick and into
the goal. “I’d like to say I’m that good of a
coach,” Delaware’s Bob Shillinglaw said Sunday,
“that we have a drill in practice that’s
shoot-at-the-defender’s-stick-and-ricochet, but I can’t
take credit.”

Why it’s not: UMBC has holes. The
Retrievers’ best player, All-American midfielder Kyle Wimer,
played out of position at attack. That’s just patchwork.
Wimer had a big game, with three goals and three assists, but UMBC
missed his grit between the lines. Kevin Kohri (5 saves, 6 GA) and
Adam Cohen (0 saves, 6 GA) invoked the “if you’ve got
two, you’ve got none” mantra about starting goalies. On
the flip side, Delaware is strong and experienced up the middle
with goalie Noah Fossner (9 saves) and faceoff specialist Tommy Lee
(15-for-24).

Staying power: Dickson has already established
himself as one of the game’s best finishers, but he’s
not just one-dimensional. He’s active on the wings and
thrifty behind the cage. As long as the Blue Hens have him up front
and experience up the middle, they’ll be contenders.
“He’s a great shooter and a good athlete,
explosive,” Shillinglaw said of Dickson. “Obviously
teams will be gearing to prevent him as much as they possibly can.
They’ll look to prevent him from getting open, not allowing
him to dodge, going early -- I think the rest of our team’s
got to step up and take the burden off him.”

Next: With momentum at its back, Delaware returns
to Baltimore for a huge game Tuesday. The Blue Hens meet No.
5-ranked Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field (5 p.m.). It will be a
rematch of the 2007 NCAA semifinal, which Hopkins won en route to a
national championship.

NO. 9 NOTRE DAME OVER NO. 2 DUKE

Why it’s surprising: The Blue Devils,
ranked No. 1 in Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason poll, have so
many weapons, it would take a special defense to hold them to
single-digit goals. Notre Dame was supposed to have lost a step on
defense. But the Irish were like a wet blanket, snuffing Duke
opportunities at every turn. Sure, All-American goalkeeper Scott
Rodgers (15 saves) had something to do with that, but Mike
Creighton -- who played long-stick midfielder until this year --
flourished down low. The move opened up more time for Andrew Irving
at long pole. Irving, generously listed at 5-foot-9, took full
advantage and sparked the fourth-quarter lockdown in which Notre
Dame blanked Duke. “He's one of those guys everybody looks at
in high school and says 'If he was bigger he'd be a hell of a
player,'" Irish coach Kevin Corrigan told LMO’s Powell
Latimer. "And at some point we looked at him and said, 'Well, he
just is.' He is a hell of a player."

Why it’s not: Not to toot my own horn, but
check out Friday’s “Ten
to Watch” feature. Did I call it, or what? I’m no
less convinced Monday than I was Friday -- or in preseason, for
that matter -- that Duke should move Ned Crotty back to midfield.
Notre Dame is better and deeper at the midfield position. Zach
Brenneman scored three goals and added an assist from the first
line. Steve Murphy and David Earl combined for another three goals
from the second line. Duke’s midfield produced just two
goals.

Staying power: Notre Dame might not be as good as
last year, when the Irish went undefeated until the NCAA
tournament, but they’re not about to fold, either.
Rodgers’ story is a great one. He waited his turn for three
years behind one of the top goalies in Notre Dame history (Joey
Kemp), and then stepped up as if the Irish never missed a beat
between the pipes. A fifth-year senior, Rodgers won’t let up,
and the Irish are not about to suffer a letdown when backed by the
best goalkeeper in the country.

Next: Something of a trap game for Notre Dame,
which hosts Penn State, which is still licking its wounds from a
24-17 season-opening loss to Robert Morris. Obviously, the Nittany
Lions can score in bunches. The Irish must frustrate them the way
they did the Blue Devils, who managed just three goals in settled
situations.

BINGHAMTON OVER NO. 20 COLGATE

Why’s it’s surprising: It was the
sixth time in Binghamton’s eight-year history that the
Bearcats defeated a nationally ranked team. Binghamton has played
Colgate close over the years, but this was its first victory in the
series. Binghamton head coach Ed Stephenson said it’s a
byproduct of increased resources the university has allotted its
men’s lacrosse program. “They’ve elevated our
support,” he said Monday, “and it’s starting to
pay dividends.” Stephenson would not specifically say if
those resources equated to more scholarships. “We are not
fully resourced at this point,” he said. “To compete
with lot of these teams that are more fully resourced, we’ve
needed some incremental increases, and we’re getting them.
Over the next couple of years, we’ll really close that gap
down.”

Why it’s not: Stephenson said this
Binghamton team invokes memories of the 2006 and 2007 teams that
flirted with national rankings. Colgate, meanwhile, was overrated.
Minus the graduated Brandon Corp and Kevin Colleluori, the Raiders
lack playmakers. Rumors have connected their coach, Jim Nagle, with
several job searches at other Division I schools the last few
years. Why does he want out so bad?

Staying power: America East favorite UMBC is
clearly vulnerable. In fact, it was Binghamton that pushed the
Retrievers to the limit in last year’s conference tournament.
The Bearcats have the experience to stick around, especially at
midfield, with two seniors (Andy Cook and Steve Carlson) and a
junior (Frank Donlon, two goals and an assist Saturday)
spearheading the unit.
Next: Binghamton hosts Lafayette, which also turned some
heads over the weekend with a 15-10 win over Fairfield. “I
knew Lafayette was good. We talked about that over the fall and
summer. They return five of their top six scorers, do a nice job
defensively and are terrific in goal,” Stephenson said.
“Some coaches have talked about them being an up-and-coming
team.”

NO. 14 LOYOLA OVER NO. 12 NAVY IN
OT

Why it’s surprising: Navy’s defense
seldom let’s one player go off as it did Cooper MacDonnell.
“That was the game of my life,” MacDonnell told the
Baltimore Sun afterward. MacDonnell factored in seven of the
Greyhounds' eight goals, scoring six, including the game-winner in
overtime. Midshipmen goalie R.J. Wickham was outstanding (19
saves), and is quickly emerging as one of the better keepers
around. But he was left exposed by another unlikely Navy culprit:
turnovers. The usually disciplined Mids had 24 turnovers, including
an unforced one that set the stage for MacDonnell in overtime.

Why it’s not: Loyola has proven to be quite
opportunistic in the Charley Toomey era and, smarting from last
year’s NCAA tournament snub, had a point to prove.

Staying power: With the offseason realignment,
the Greyhounds are clearly the class of the new ECAC. Who’s
going to challenge them? Ohio State and Hobart are the nearest
contenders. By the same token, the weakened conference slate only
adds to the importance of non-conference games for at-large
positioning. The win over Navy is a nice feather in Loyola’s
cap.

Next: Loyola remains on the road for what should
be easier games at Quinnipiac (Saturday) and Bellarmine (March 3)
before the Greyhounds' March 6 showdown with Notre Dame in the
Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic.

ROBERT MORRIS OVER PENN STATE

Why it’s surprising: Penn State allowed
Robert Morris to dictate the pace, as evidenced by the 24-17 final
score and 115 shots combined between the teams. Didn’t the
Nittany Lions learn their lesson last year, when Robert Morris bit
them in double OT? Weren’t they going to be better prepared
this year? Didn’t they have momentum at their back, ending
last season with six straight wins following that terrible 0-3
start precipitated by this same RMU team? Apparently not.

Why it’s not: The Canadian-laden Colonials
are dangerous in an unsettled setting. “We’ve built the
team on wanting to be up-tempo and pushing it,” RMU coach
Bear Davis said Sunday. “It’s what you would consider
old-school, spectator lacrosse. It’s just more fun. It was a
shootout. There were some smoking guns going off around
there.” Disappointment is no longer a surprising
sentiment around Happy Valley. Last year’s 0-3 start had
people calling for longtime coach Glenn Thiel’s head, and the
murmurs resurfaced after goalie Drew Adams’ heir apparent,
Steven Rastivo, transferred to North Carolina in the offseason.
Dave Baker and John Nichols were awful Saturday. Penn State is a
rudderless ship.

Staying power: Robert Morris and Sacred Heart,
both of whom will join the new Northeast Conference, were exiled by
the CAA to make room for Penn State and UMass amidst the
realignment. The Colonials are operating as an independent this
year, so unless they run the table and upset teams like Virginia,
you're looking at a one-game-at-a-time approach.
Next: Robert Morris continues a season-opening, four-game
road swing with games Friday and Sunday at Manhattan and Wagner,
respectively.

JACKSONVILLE OVER DENVER

Why it’s surprising: For all the
discipline Denver was supposed to have under new Hall of Fame head
coach Bill Tierney, the Pioneers squandered a 10-4 lead to the
Dolphins, who were playing in just the third game of their
inaugural season. Denver did not do itself any favors by scheduling
games at Syracuse and Jacksonville in the same weekend, so fatigue
could have been a factor.

Why it’s not: While all the hoopla
surrounded the Tierney-to-Denver saga, Matt Kerwick quietly built a
solid team in Jacksonville -- Florida's first Division I
men’s lacrosse program. The Dolphins gave No. 4-ranked North
Carolina a tough game in their debut and learned a good lesson
about playing from ahead when they squandered a six-goal lead in a
tough loss to Bellarmine. “I told the guys coming in that if
we play like we practice, we’re going to be in this
game,” Kerwick said. “I’m so proud of their
effort today after going down six goals to a really strong, really
well-coached team. They kept their heads up, fought hard and never
gave up.”

Staying power: Jacksonville does not have the
conference affiliation or strength of schedule to be an instant
contender in the national landscape, but games against Bucknell,
Duke and Hofstra could certinaly land the Dolphins on the radar.
Don’t look now, but Kerwick boasts the nation’s top
scorer in Ryan Serville, who has 10 goals and five assists in three
games.

Next: Jacksonville encounters another first --
its first road trip. The Dolphins play Saturday at VMI, which gave
Army a run for its money.

UC DAVIS OVER CALIFORNIA (WOMEN)

Why it’s surprising: The Aggies had not
defeated their UC rival since 2001. And given the way in which UC
Davis’ club team is tearing up the WDIA ranks, it seemed
its varsity counterpart was in line for a Virginia Tech-like
upstaging. Au contraire. UC Davis showed tremendous offensive
balance. Christina Corsa led the way with three goals. Four other
Aggies tallied two each.

Why it’s not: With the MPSF champion this
year earning a bid to the NCAA tournament play-in game (against the
Atlantic 10 champion), the conference, while still dominated by
Stanford, is bound to become more competitive. There’s more
at stake.

Staying power: If UC Davis is good enough to beat
Cal, the Aggies are good enough to beat St. Mary’s,
Villanova, Manhattan, Detroit, Liberty, St. Francis, Regis and
Fresno State -- a slate of fairly woeful opponents. (Although
it’s not quite fair to lump in first-year Liberty, which
hasn’t played a game yet.)

Next: UC Davis hosts St. Mary’s on Saturday
at 1 p.m. Pacific.

NO. 14 LOYOLA OVER NO. 10 VIRGINIA
(WOMEN)

Why it’s surprising: Virginia made it a
point to improve team chemistry in the offseason, but it did not
translate to the field -- not in the Cavaliers’
season-opener, anyhow. Caity Whiteley (4g) and Josie Owen (2g, 4a)
were bright spots, and Brittany Kalkstein became the school’s
all-time draw controls leader. But Kaitlin Duff, whom UVA is
counting on for more production, was a non-factor. The Cavs also
made a pedestrian goalie look great. Loyola’s Kerry Stoothoff
made 15 saves.

Why it’s not: It was actually something of
a must-win for the Greyhounds, who were upset by Penn State in
their opener and faced the perilous prospect of an 0-2 hole to
start the season. Their deep, talented midfield would not let that
happen. Emily Gibson (5g, 1a), Grace Gavin (4g, 1a), Cass Cursaro
(3g, 1a) and Cara Filippelli (3g, 1a) were unstoppable.

Staying power: Loyola is legit and will give
Syracuse, Georgetown and Notre Dame a run for the Big East
title.

Next: The Greyhounds turn around Tuesday for a
game at UMBC. The Retrievers, under first-year head coach Kelly
Berger, have won their first two games by a combined 34-10 score.

NEAR UPSETS

Drexel almost did it again. The Dragons almost upended Virginia.
It would not have been terribly surprising to some.

Steele Stanwick saved Virginia, scoring all three of his goals in
the fourth quarter, as the No. 3-ranked Wahoos escaped with an 11-8
win. Virginia trailed 7-6 going into the fourth quarter.

Other near-upsets of note: A week after getting blown out by Navy,
VMI hung mighty close with Army. The Keydets scored four unanswered
goals to pull within 10-9 with 5:51 remaining, but could not
overcome the Black Knights. Keep an eye on VMI faceoff specialist
Stephen Robarge. After impressing against Navy, he won 16 of 19
faceoffs against Army.

The near-upsets on the women’s side would not look so upon
first glance, but No. 18 Penn State and No. 20 William & Mary
held halftime leads over No. 2 Maryland and No. 5 Duke,
respectively, before the ACC powers asserted their authority in the
second halves of 17-9 and 16-9 victories.

SHOOTOUTS AND CANADIANS

Who says run-and-gun is dead?

Four Division I men’s lacrosse teams topped 20 goals over
the weekend, highlighted by Robert Morris’ 24-17 victory over
Penn State.

Davis credits the Canadian influence.

“They play with a shot clock all summer long. They’re
accustomed to getting up and down,” he said.
“It’s hard to recruit those guys and tell them
we’re going to slow the ball down.”

Jordan McBride (8g, 2a) and Kevin Crowley (4g, 5a) combined for 19
points in Stony Brook’s 21-14 blowout of Siena. On the other
side, Saints sophomore Bryan Neufield scored a career-high seven
goals. Ryan Serville, the nation’s top scorer coming into the
weekend, had three goals and three assists in Jacksonville’s
13-12 upset of Denver. Delaware All-American Curtis Dickson scored
seven goals in the Blue Hens’ triple-overtime upset of
UMBC.

That’s got to be of some solace to those north of the border
who are fuming over Team Canada’s historic ice hockey loss
Sunday night to Team USA in the Winter Olympics.

"Who knows," Davis said. "Maybe one day us and Stony Brook will
play, and you'll get to see a 50-point game."

In other shootouts, UMass scored its most goals since 2002 in a
20-10 whopper over Hartford. Rutgers blasted Wagner, 24-4.

TAKE FIVE

1. Le Moyne College announced last week that it has endorsed the
president’s recommendation to continue as a competitor at the
Division II level. As such, it plans to reclassify its
women’s lacrosse team, which currently competes at the
Division I level.

My take: That should squelch any talk of the
Dolphins’ men’s lacrosse team going Division I, and
thus make Dan Sheehan a very happy man. Sheehan has been a vocal
opponent of reclassification. The conversation took on steam when
Le Moyne’s men’s basketball team stunned Syracuse in a
preseason game to make national news. After getting exiled from the
MAAC, the Dolphins’ women’s lacrosse team no longer had
a foothold in the Division I realm. This move makes sense across
the board.

2. The charges against three Sacred Heart men’s lacrosse
players accused with conspiracy to commit sexual assault were
dropped last week after the players apologized to their accuser in
court.

My take: After what sounds like a sophomoric
prank gone awry, the university did not overreact. SHU kept the
three players -- Tim Sanders, Nicholas Travers and Zachary Triner
-- enrolled and on its men’s lacrosse roster. They have been
inactive through the first two games, however. The university will
re-evaluate their status. Media coverage was also fair. I’m
not sure such prudence would have been taken prior to the Duke
fiasco.

3. Speaking of which, the woman who falsely accused three Duke
lacrosse players of raping her four years ago has been charged with
arson and attempted murder. According to Durham police, Crystal
Mangum assaulted her boyfriend, set his clothes on fire in a
bathtub and threatened to stab him. She was arrested Wednesday.

My take: This is just sad. Mangum’s
publicized and troubled background of abuse and past injustices
make her difficult to vilify, even given her false accusations of
2006. “My heart goes out to her,” Joseph Cheshire, who
represented one of the accused lacrosse players, told WRAL.
“Mostly, I worry about her children.”

4. Over 2,000 fans attended the University of Florida
women’s lacrosse opener against Jacksonville, which the
Gators won, 16-6.

My take: The crowd was more impressive than the
victory. Florida is light years ahead of Jacksonville in terms of
resources and recruiting. I’m more impressed that the Gators
beat Princeton in their final preseason scrimmage. After playing La
Salle on Tuesday, Florida visits No. 4 North Carolina in a must-see
game Sunday.

5. Designer Michael Bastian got rave reviews for his
lacrosse-themed sportswear collection for Gant during New York
Fashion Week.

My take: Check out the photo in this Los Angeles Times’ blog. Gotta love
the popped collar, short shorts and headband. Lacrosse might not
make it into the Olympics, but at least the fastest sport in
fashion has some global cachet.